captainslack
Five Goats Hunter
I'm fairly new to RF's, but already addicted. And I really, really want a Leica! I really, really can't afford one, though. So, I looked at a Voightlander Bessa, which I could possibly swing with our tax refund this year. However, that purchase would eat up a good chunk of it and that money really should go into our savings and not toward satisfiying my GAS cravings.
So, I've heard a lot of good things here about the FSU cameras and lenses and, at $30-50 on the Bay, they're in my price range!
The FED 2 seems to get a lot of praise here and on the various websites I've been to. I've got a few questions, though:
1) Is the FED 2 (or any other FED) parallax corrected? If not, how much of an impact is that going to make in my shooting?
2) I've read the warnings about arming the shutter before setting the shutter speeds. How much of a real problem is this?
3) I think I know the answer to this, but just so I'm straight: the FED's use the same LTM mount as the Leica III series and the Bessa R, right?
4) Is it pronounced "In-dust-ar" or "In-du-star"? (I guess that one's for Nathalia
Anything else I should know?
Thanks in advance?
Nathan
So, I've heard a lot of good things here about the FSU cameras and lenses and, at $30-50 on the Bay, they're in my price range!
The FED 2 seems to get a lot of praise here and on the various websites I've been to. I've got a few questions, though:1) Is the FED 2 (or any other FED) parallax corrected? If not, how much of an impact is that going to make in my shooting?
2) I've read the warnings about arming the shutter before setting the shutter speeds. How much of a real problem is this?
3) I think I know the answer to this, but just so I'm straight: the FED's use the same LTM mount as the Leica III series and the Bessa R, right?
4) Is it pronounced "In-dust-ar" or "In-du-star"? (I guess that one's for Nathalia
Anything else I should know?
Thanks in advance?
Nathan
T
tedwhite
Guest
I can only answer 2) and 3). The rest will be answered by more knowledgable folks.
2) As long as you always do it, it'll never be a problem.
3) Yes. You are right.
Ted
2) As long as you always do it, it'll never be a problem.
3) Yes. You are right.
Ted
phototone
Well-known
1. No Fed II is parallex corrected. There are no framelines built in. The viewfinder shows the view of the 50mm normal lens. I shoot with a Leica IIIc a lot, same thing...no parallex compensation built in. When I want parallex correction I mount an auxiliary finder on top that has this feature. The Fed II does have a combined viewfinder/rangefinder, unlike earlier Fed, Leica's, and Zorki's which had separate windows for rangefinder and viewfinder.
2. I just tried this and I created no damage. It just may not give you an accurate shutter speed if you set the shutter before winding the camera. Also, the Fed II's only have shutter speeds from 1/30 to 1/500 + "B". No slow speeds. Just like a Leica II. Simple, reliable shutter. Use a cable release and tripod for slow speed. "One thousand and one, One thousand and two,"
3. Yes, same LTM mount, however the lens register may be off. The lens to film distance is set with paper shims under the lens mounting flange on the front of the camera. For absolute accuracy, the lens register should be measured and adjusted. If the camera has ever been repaired, there is a chance that the shims were lost, removed, replaced wrong, etc, as you have to take the body lens flange off the camera to remove the insides of the camera.
4. No idea.
5. Yes, the Fed II is a darned nice camera, considering the price....and unlike many LTM Leica's, it has flash sync via a pc contact on front of camera. The only Leica's that commonly have flash sync in screw-mount are the IIIf and IIIg models which are the most expensive to buy now due to collector interest. You could buy 20 Fed II's for one Leica IIIg.
Phototone
2. I just tried this and I created no damage. It just may not give you an accurate shutter speed if you set the shutter before winding the camera. Also, the Fed II's only have shutter speeds from 1/30 to 1/500 + "B". No slow speeds. Just like a Leica II. Simple, reliable shutter. Use a cable release and tripod for slow speed. "One thousand and one, One thousand and two,"
3. Yes, same LTM mount, however the lens register may be off. The lens to film distance is set with paper shims under the lens mounting flange on the front of the camera. For absolute accuracy, the lens register should be measured and adjusted. If the camera has ever been repaired, there is a chance that the shims were lost, removed, replaced wrong, etc, as you have to take the body lens flange off the camera to remove the insides of the camera.
4. No idea.
5. Yes, the Fed II is a darned nice camera, considering the price....and unlike many LTM Leica's, it has flash sync via a pc contact on front of camera. The only Leica's that commonly have flash sync in screw-mount are the IIIf and IIIg models which are the most expensive to buy now due to collector interest. You could buy 20 Fed II's for one Leica IIIg.
Phototone
W
wlewisiii
Guest
1) The only parallax corrected FSU rangefinder I'm aware of is the Kiev 5. It's an interesting camera but a) more expensive and b) has it's own set of encentricities. Parallax really isn't as big an issue as it's sometimes made out to be, however, unless you shoot really close up all the time. Even then I've had more headaches with a TLR than with any RF camera. Practice will tell you how far to adjust.
2) Major big deal. Always cock the shutter then change the speed on a Fed or Zorki. The Kiev doesn't care, but it has a very different shutter mechanism than the Leica derivatives.
3) Yes. But as noted, distances can vary.
4) Yes.
HTH,
William
2) Major big deal. Always cock the shutter then change the speed on a Fed or Zorki. The Kiev doesn't care, but it has a very different shutter mechanism than the Leica derivatives.
3) Yes. But as noted, distances can vary.
4) Yes.
HTH,
William
phototone
Well-known
4) Is it pronounced "In-dust-ar" or "In-du-star"? (I guess that one's for Nathalia
Nathan[/QUOTE]
It's pronounced, now pay very close attention: "Good-Cheap-Lens"
Phototone
Nathan[/QUOTE]
It's pronounced, now pay very close attention: "Good-Cheap-Lens"
Phototone
FrankS
Registered User
Late FED's (d and e) are the best deals going in LTM RF cameras if you get a good one. Russian 50mm lenses are also fantastic value. If you are on a tight budget, this is the way to go. Select the seller with care.
K
Kin Lau
Guest
Just got my Fed 2(e) type 2 ... you'll need to check the Fed pages to figure out what that means
1) Mine didn't for sure, and I don't have it for about 1/2 of my RF's, and makes almost no difference for me.
2) You may not mess it up this time, but who knows about the next time.
3) Yes, but I have a few LTM lenses/bodies that are "matched", and don't work well with other lenses/bodies
4) Checkout Natalia's page... I'm sure it there already
5) I think the Fed 2 has the longer RF base of any LTM camera, so the focusing should be better/more accurate than most.
1) Mine didn't for sure, and I don't have it for about 1/2 of my RF's, and makes almost no difference for me.
2) You may not mess it up this time, but who knows about the next time.
3) Yes, but I have a few LTM lenses/bodies that are "matched", and don't work well with other lenses/bodies
4) Checkout Natalia's page... I'm sure it there already
5) I think the Fed 2 has the longer RF base of any LTM camera, so the focusing should be better/more accurate than most.
captainslack
Five Goats Hunter
phototone said:4) Is it pronounced "In-dust-ar" or "In-du-star"? (I guess that one's for Nathalia
Nathan
It's pronounced, now pay very close attention: "Good-Cheap-Lens"
Phototone[/QUOTE]
O-Tay!!!!
Fedzilla_Bob
man with cat
My Two Cents-- Find Gordon's images in the recent coffee and camera posts and you can see that many of us LOVE the FED 2.
The range of lenses makes for a versatile system. I wish I had one in High School instead of my old Minolta SRT-101. It would have suited the artiste that I belived I was. Love the one I have now. I will be publishing shots from it in about a week or two.
I also like the FED 3 Which I know isn't as popular, but a sturdy workhorse in it's own right. Those can be found for a little less with an Industar 61 doing the light gathering. Basically the same mechanics inside the shutter curtain box, only it has a wind lever for when you really want to get crazy. (some of us have way too much time on our hands)
The range of lenses makes for a versatile system. I wish I had one in High School instead of my old Minolta SRT-101. It would have suited the artiste that I belived I was. Love the one I have now. I will be publishing shots from it in about a week or two.
I also like the FED 3 Which I know isn't as popular, but a sturdy workhorse in it's own right. Those can be found for a little less with an Industar 61 doing the light gathering. Basically the same mechanics inside the shutter curtain box, only it has a wind lever for when you really want to get crazy. (some of us have way too much time on our hands)
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T
tedwhite
Guest
I just bought a Kiev 4AM. Am I a traitor?
Fedzilla_Bob
man with cat
Yeah, but you get special dispensation due to the fact that you have a FED anyway. Face it, you just like the Ruskie Kamera.
sockeyed
Well-known
My problem with the Fed 3 is that it doesn't have strap lugs. The only exception, as far as I know, is the Fed 3a, which looks different but is one of my favourites. The eBay seller Kasiapeya often has Fed 3a's.
Fedzilla_Bob
man with cat
That is my one complaint. I am seriously considering drilling my own, like Jim Blasick had done to one of his FED 3 series.
Solinar
Analog Preferred
With regards to pronunciations, fed is the easy pronunciation and Ef ED DEE sounds more like a flower delivery service.
Another vote for the FED 2. It has the perfect hand-hold, but more importantly it has the wide range finder base. The latter has finally gotten me to put down my fixed-lens Olympus range finders.
My favorite lens is a collapsible Industar 50. I have the correct FED Industar 10 coming. In low light, you may run out of FED, which is why I have a Jupiter 8 and a J9, that throws the camera off-balance.
The down sides are the limited number of shutter speeds and the viewfinder. I'm shooting hand-held, so the limited range of shutter speeds ain't no big deal, but 1/1000th would be nice to have. The viewfinder work around I often work with my 5cm SBOOI Leitz bright-line finder.
What's else is there? I wish the register was the same as a Leica screw mount. Then I would use my V/C 75mm Heliar and 90mm Leica Elmar on the camera.
Another vote for the FED 2. It has the perfect hand-hold, but more importantly it has the wide range finder base. The latter has finally gotten me to put down my fixed-lens Olympus range finders.
My favorite lens is a collapsible Industar 50. I have the correct FED Industar 10 coming. In low light, you may run out of FED, which is why I have a Jupiter 8 and a J9, that throws the camera off-balance.
The down sides are the limited number of shutter speeds and the viewfinder. I'm shooting hand-held, so the limited range of shutter speeds ain't no big deal, but 1/1000th would be nice to have. The viewfinder work around I often work with my 5cm SBOOI Leitz bright-line finder.
What's else is there? I wish the register was the same as a Leica screw mount. Then I would use my V/C 75mm Heliar and 90mm Leica Elmar on the camera.
cbass
Nutmegger
Nathan,
Like you, I was gung-ho for a Bessa but instead I bought a FED-2 with the Industar-26m (50/2.8) last month and I love it. It's my first FSU camera and it has already become my favorite user RF. It's nice and robust with a good feel and the lens is really underrated. I don't miss the parllax correction, metering or wind lever of my Hi-Matics. Well....I did miss the wind lever at first but I've now gotten used to having "FED fingers".
Bought from seller "alex-photo" on Ebay and had a very good transaction. Make sure you get one with a take-up spool included. A FED-2 will make you forget about the Bessa (or maybe even the Leica) for a while. Good luck!
PS - after buying one FSU cam I am now experiencing bad GAS attacks for more (FED-3, Kiev 4AM, etc.) -- it never ends!
Like you, I was gung-ho for a Bessa but instead I bought a FED-2 with the Industar-26m (50/2.8) last month and I love it. It's my first FSU camera and it has already become my favorite user RF. It's nice and robust with a good feel and the lens is really underrated. I don't miss the parllax correction, metering or wind lever of my Hi-Matics. Well....I did miss the wind lever at first but I've now gotten used to having "FED fingers".
Bought from seller "alex-photo" on Ebay and had a very good transaction. Make sure you get one with a take-up spool included. A FED-2 will make you forget about the Bessa (or maybe even the Leica) for a while. Good luck!
PS - after buying one FSU cam I am now experiencing bad GAS attacks for more (FED-3, Kiev 4AM, etc.) -- it never ends!
T
tedwhite
Guest
I'm GASsing over a Zorki 3M w/J8. Been watching it for days. However, it went last night for $102.50, a price that would have done violence to my budget.
captainslack
Five Goats Hunter
cbass said:
Oh, no! It's a terminal disease. I gave in to that reality a long time ago.
Thanks for your help everyone!! I'll probably be picking up a FED 2d when get paid next. Any recommendations an Ebay seller to look for?
P
pshinkaw
Guest
The really GOOD e-Bay Sellers will also sell to you direct. That includes Alex-Photo if you want to do your own importing or Yuri (Fedka in New York) if you just want a good camera without the anticipation of waiting for the brown paper package in the mail.
If you want to roll the dice and buy thru e-Bay, I have never had a payment or delivery problem with a Seller who uses Westernbid in Minnesota to handle payments. 100% functionality on the other hand still somewhat of a gamble. Remember, these cameras are mostly 40 years or older.
-Paul
If you want to roll the dice and buy thru e-Bay, I have never had a payment or delivery problem with a Seller who uses Westernbid in Minnesota to handle payments. 100% functionality on the other hand still somewhat of a gamble. Remember, these cameras are mostly 40 years or older.
-Paul
Solinar
Analog Preferred
tedwhite said:
Yipes, it's time to start trashing Zorkis on all the web sites. Let me start the ball rolling They are terrible cameras, totally worthless.
Since I'm on a hypicritical roll, I don't think we should be advertising our off-line deals with eBay sellers. The Bay may not look kindly on it.
Keep in mind that these sellers do the shopping for us in former Soviet Bloc flea markets or where ever. I have been trading with cupog in Bratislava since my Pentacon 6 days and if you let him or whoever your favorite seller is know what you need they will keep an eye out for one.
It's not that I would ever contact a seller off-line to have them look for an item. :angel:
kiev4a
Well-known
I would consider the FED 3A. As someone else pointed out the 3A has strap lugs. Although it is a little larger than the FED 2 (the body is essentially the same but the top is higher) the 3A just has a better feel IMHO.
The Zorki 3M is a nice camera with more shutter speeds that the FEDs but no flash synch (unless you find one that had the feature added later, and they are very rare. The 3M has one weak trait--there is a cam inside the rangefinder that can get out of alignment causing focusing problems. According to Oleg it's fairly common.
The Zorki 3M is a nice camera with more shutter speeds that the FEDs but no flash synch (unless you find one that had the feature added later, and they are very rare. The 3M has one weak trait--there is a cam inside the rangefinder that can get out of alignment causing focusing problems. According to Oleg it's fairly common.